Storing Board Products
A majority of our fabrication activity revolves around graphic mounting boards. The number one reject we face in our qc process is the bowing of boards. We need to keep these boards as flat as possible so that our customers get the flattest results - because after all, that is why they adhere a print to a board - to keep it nice and flat. Once a foam board becomes bowed or cups, it is almost impossible to flatten it out.
The boards we use include foam boards, Gator boards, SBS boards and more. The boards we receive are mostly larger boards such as 4 by 8 feet and we coat adhesive and cut these into print sizes. Many things can contribute to bowing, but by far, the number 1 contributor to the bowing of boards is how they are stored. Also now as summer approaches, the humidity is also changing and the absorption of moisture into the boards also effects the bowing of the boards. And if you do not store boards properly, the humidity and dampness of summer will be excentuated.
So we do three things to keep our boards stored safe and flat and you can do the same in your operation. The 3 key things we do are:
- Store Mounting Boards horizontal or flat
- Keep boards in their carton
- Keep boards up off the floor
We have 10 foot racks which allows us to store our boards on shelves. This accomplishes 2 things - First it gets them off our concrete floor and second by not leaning the boards vertically, we minimize any stress that could lead to a cupping or bowing of the board. The concrete floor tends to be cooler and help moisture from humidity condense and be absorped easier.
Keeping the boards in their cardboard box helps to keep the humidity away from the board as it is absorped by the cardboard. The carton also acts as a buffer to keep the conditions cosistent for the boards.
If you can do these 3 things, you will keep your boards flat and as they have an indefinite shelf life, you can store them that way for years without any problems.